New bridge with 6 pillars won't be harmful to seaport: Huda

The cost of a suspension bridge over the river, as demanded by the mayor, would be at least Tk 200 crore higher than the extra dosed bridge that the government took up, the minister said.

Huda said he does not think the new bridge with six pillars would do any harm to the Chittagong seaport and navigability in the river.

The government took up the project for construction of the third bridge over the Karnaphuli river after the Kuwait Development Fund agreed to provide necessary fund for it, he said, adding that the construction of the Tk 336crore bridge will start next month and be complete in 38 months.

The minister expressed hope that the Chittagong mayor would retreat from his position and extend all-out cooperation to the government for building the bridge that is a long time demand of the people of the area.

The new bridge will replace the existing Shah Amanat Bridge that has been in a dilapidated condition for long.

Abdul Aziz, director of Bangladesh Consultant Engineers that is working as consultant of the bridge project, said the extra dosed bridge would be more viable than a suspension bridge as the latter might fail to bear extra pressure.

A team of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology that made a study on the project did not find any reason of massive siltation in the river following the construction of a bridge, he said.